TomeNET is pretty good balanced game and one of the main reasons of this fact is that it’s balance based on Angband (which based on Moria), so it’s rebalance history could be counted as ~40 years in total. But as TomeNET overgrown (in a good way) with a lot of features, new classes and races – it’s important to continue balance polishing.

Main idea of game balance is simple:
If players are keeping to use the same build (race, class, skills) – in most cases it means that it’s stronger than others and it should be nerfed. And vice versa – if players do not use certain build – it should be buffed. Btw, in the past TomeNET had quite interesting statistics for different races/classes, it could help in rebalancing.

But unlike ‘common’ MMORPGs (like WoW, for example) where main balance is happening in classes, and races play kinda decorative way there, TomeNET got pretty different situation – races influence on gameplay a lot, almost the same way as classes. It makes gameplay and build diversity much more interesting, but also makes balancing harder (eternal dilemma – complex gameplay originate difficulties in game balance).

And if classes’ balance in TomeNET is quite good, races’ balance could do better – there are races which are hardly chosen for any class at all; at the same time my belief that every race in TomeNET should have certain advantage for _each_ class. In other words, ideally every race should have _something_ which makes it desirable to play for each class. It’s ideal situation, but rebalancing purpose is to continue getting gameplay to this ‘ideal’ situation, it’s eternal process.

I wanna start my analysis with Archer class, as atm it’s one of my favorites. It’s ‘simple’ in a way of comprehension it’s gameplay; also not too much different skill-builds available for it, so it’s relatively easy to estimate it’s strenghts and weaknesses for different races.

Currently we got 18 races in TomeNET. My impressions upon their suitness for playing archer, from best to worst, top 5:

All other races are weakier because of ratio BONUS vs SURVIVABILITY. Eg: lets take ‘hobbit‘ race. There is a myth (in my opinion) that it’s good race for ‘archer’. But is it? Biggest problem of hobbit is 8 hp. As archer class got only +5 hp per lvl, so having extra hp bonus from race is pretty essential; so the only way to play hobbit archer at endgame is to use +life weapon and getting ‘health’ skill. But other archers in general should do this (+life and ‘health’) it to increase survivability, so at the end we see that hobbits appears not really good compare to other races and not much people play hobbits-archer. The only use of hobbits it’s to utilize ‘Disruption Shield’ magic to improve survivability.

How to compensate low survivability? One of the best ways is to give bonuses to certain skills – because it give possibility to make race customization independent from other classes (bad way to rebalance is just giving resistance or other bonus, like stealth – cause this resistance influence _all_ builds; so giving bonus to certain skill is better for accurate rebalancing).

Currently hobbit got +0.080 bonus to skill ‘Slings’ – pretty nothing (so overal is 0.880 per skillpoint) to compansate it’s problem with hp. I would say it should be +0.400 bonus, it would make at least some sense in taking such race for archer.

So, all low hp (less than 10) races are quite dull in most cases, except playing with cheezing-uber equipment. Players wouldn’t want to play hobbits at ‘soloist’/IDDC mode, except RP cases. One of the most important thing in TomeNET – survivability and low hp races just not match to others in this field, if you play without ‘Disruption Shield’.

Next problematic race is Half-trolls. It seems, in the past this race was imba and most of archers played this race so devs severely nerfed this poor dudes. Now half-trolls should spend 0.500 skillpoints on ‘archery’, compared to 1.000 for other races. It doesn’t make sense really, thats why all people just stopped to play half-trolls archers; at the same time people could play Draconians, have loads of hp, 5 BT and have 1.000 archery.. So I suppose half-troll should be unnerfed a bit – to 0.750 archery.. also maybe bonus to slings? (cause of love for stone throwing). Just to convince players to give half-trolls a chance.

And just some fast-paces analysis of other races:

Half-Orc.. Give them bonus to bows (Isildur approves)Elf – increase bonus to bows/calmness. Without it half-elves is still more preferable cause of extra hp.Gnome – increase ‘Crossbow-mastery’ bonusDunadan – increase bows/calmness bonus.. Actually I don’t see any use to play dunadan cause of high EXP penalty (170%). Just compare it’s parameters to Dark elves. I would say that this race in general needs rearrangement – reducing exp penalty for 130% would make sense.Yeek – this is special case; good for 60+ lvl gameplay, nothing to change.Goblin – increase Crossbow-mastery bonus.Draconian – pretty ok (cause of resistance/hp), even with low stealthKobold – Bow/archery bonus.Maia – N/A. I suppose it would be fun to give possibility to play maia archer. Tolkien lore won’t say ‘no’ to it. Just take care with bonuses, to give certain boundaries to it’s pros.Ent – N/A. The same situation as with maia. ‘Sling’s ents could be interesting possibility. If ent could wield a sword, why he can not use ‘sling’?

All above was ‘sweet’, ‘buff’-approach. But rebalance could go in opposite direction, eg to reduce bonuses for high-elves, dark elves and other races from top 5. But TomeNET already is pretty challengins, even for high elves. I think it’s better not to buff top races, but to make ‘weak’ races more attractive to choice.

Soon I’ll continue analysis for other races/classes and also builds. Hope to see your comments!

They possessed from the first the art of disappearing swiftly and silently, when large folk whom they do not wish to meet come blundering by; and this an they have developed until to Men it may seem magical.

Suggestion: give hobbits a possibility to get into 'cloaking' mode like rogue class (shift+v). To make it not imba - make it work only while hobbit stay still or reduce speed more dramatically then 'rogue' got

Continue lore-driven ideas to make hobbits more popular (balanced) race.. Considerng Bilbo, having The Ring for long years:

‘There wasn’t any permanent harm done, was there?’ asked Frodo anxiously. ‘He would get all right in time, wouldn’t he? Be able to rest in peace, I mean?’

‘He felt better at once,’ said Gandalf. ‘But there is only one Power in this world that knows all about the Rings and their effects; and as far as I know there is no Power in the world that knows all about hobbits. Among the Wise I am the only one that goes in for hobbit-lore: an obscure branch of knowledge, but full of surprises. Soft as butter they can be, and yet sometimes as tough as old tree-roots. I think it likely that some would resist the Rings far longer than most of the Wise would believe. I don’t think you need worry about Bilbo.

Suggestion:
1) reduce exp drain from Nazguls' rings (and 'The One Ring')
2) makes it possible to take off freely heavely-cursed rings from fingers; but leave them still unable to drop them on the ground because:

‘Try!’ said Gandalf. Try now!’

Frodo drew the Ring out of his pocket again and looked at it. It now appeared plain and smooth, without mark or device that he could see. The gold looked very fair and pure, and Frodo thought how rich and beautiful was its colour, how perfect was its roundness. It was an admirable thing and altogether precious. When he took it out he had intended to fling it from him into the very hottest part of the fire. But he found now that he could not do so, not without a great struggle. He weighed the Ring in his hand, hesitating, and forcing himself to remember all that Gandalf had told him; and then with an effort of will he made a movement, as if to cast it away - but he found that he had put it back in his pocket.